Travelling from Venice to Vienna would be my one of the best travelling experience in Europe in terms of relishing the landscapes of Europe. I took this journey in two parts.

Venice to Villach by bus.

Villach to Vienna by train.

Villach is the first town at the border of Italy and Austria. I travelled from Venice to Villach by a bus and the rest of the journey was completed by a train.

Venice to Villach experience:

I would say that the journey from Venice to Villach was mostly through the plains of the Europe towards the northern Italy except the last part when we entered the Alps terrain and valleys. The journey shows you one of the most beautiful landscapes of Italy which include villages, grasslands, farming fields etc.

But I did not know that there was more to come when I would leave the bus and board the train to Vienna from Villach.

Villach to Vienna by Train:

I enjoyed this journey more than the first part of the journey for two reasons:

The train was running slower than the bus because most of the journey parts were spent in ascending and descending the alps range. So, on a slower train, there was more to see.

Second, on this journey, the train crosses one of the most beautiful terrains of the Alps.

Throughout the journey, the train follows the river Mur, as far as I think. Then I explored the Google Maps because I was so intrigued by the train journey. And I found this fact.

Then I further explored the Google Terrain maps and I found out that It would have been a lot easier for the railway engineers to lay the railway tracks along the river Mur. That is show because of the river if you see on the Google Maps, run through the alps terrain and on an almost flat terrain crisscrossing through the mighty mountains.

And, it would surely be easier for the engineers to lay the track along the river on the plains than digging a tunnel through the mountain. This reminds me of my train journey from Berlin to Prague which also runs along the river Elbe.

Train Along the WortherSee:

One of the most remarkable things that I saw along this journey was the train running along the Worthersee. A few minutes just after the train leaves the town of Villach, it starts crawling along the Worthersee.

This whole journey along the Worthersee lake lasts for around 30 Kms. And it is so soothing to the eyes. There were a few huts along the lake. Also, the life seemed so easy.

Some of the most remarkable things that I saw on this Journey are shown in the pictures below:

Vatican City seemed as cryptic as walking into a mysterious zone where every inch of the foothold holds some stories. When I was a child I came to knew that Vatican city was the world’s smallest country. Just imagine how had that be like to imagine visiting the smallest country in the world?

Enter into Rome and the most of the tourists just want to go to the Vatican city. I was a no exception. Also, I had no expectation of seeing some barrier or kind of wired fencing around the Vatican city. As I grew up, I had already come to that Vatican city is a kind of place where the Pope lives and it is more like a sacred country.

When you reach nearer to the Vatican City, you see a large fort wall. And that’s the wall which separates a country from a city. Astonishing, is not it? Do not undermine the strength of the Vatican city in terms of the administration and facilities. It has every basic entity which a country needs to be run properly.

On another note, if I had to compare Vatican City, I would compare it with the Gosaba island in the Sundarbans but that would be far-related and weird. Moreover, Gosaba island is secluded even though it has a whole municipality of its own.

Some strange facts about Vatican City:

Vatican city has its own barracks but that’s for the Swiss Guards which were hired by Pope Julius-three as the mercenary force.

Vatican City has a Television Center. Wonder, from where the live telecast and the message of the Pope come from.

St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peters Square occupy more than one-tenth of the total area of the Vatican City Alone.

St. Peter’s Basilica is believed to be sitting atop a city of the dead. The story goes like this: There was a great fire in Rome in A.D. 64. During that time, the emperor of the Rome was Emperor Nero. Trying not to take the blame on himself, instead, he blamed Christians of the fire. So, to take the revenge, he also burnt them alive in the same fire. St. Peter, after whom the basilica and the square have been named was also one among the victims. St. Peter was one of the most profound disciples of Jesus Christ. Later, when the Christianity was declared as the official religion of Rome, a basilica was made atop the same blaze.

Vatican City even before being declared as a sacred area was already being treated as a sacred area.

During the second world war, even though the Italy was an integral member of the war, Vatican City expressed a neutrality in the war. The neutrality was waged to such an extent that even if Rome be bombarded, Vatican City, lying almost in the center of the Rome, should not be touched.

Unlike citizenship of other states, which is based mostly on the place of birth, citizenship of Vatican City is granted on the grounds of appointment to work in a certain capacity in the service of the Holy See. It usually ceases upon cessation of the appointment. Citizenship is extended also to the spouse, parents, and descendants of a citizen provided they are living with the person who is a citizen.

Other tips to visiting the Vatican City:

Vatican City will mostly be crowded on a clear day. So, I am not extrapolating when I say, beware of the pick- pockets.

As I mentioned in the beginning that every inch of the sacred land holds some mystery, plus, as a tourist, you would also be allowed not to visit some of the secluded and parked areas, so it is always better to hire a guide.

St. Peter’s Basilica is a must. Do not forget to go inside the church as well as on the dome top of the church.
From the top, you get to see the most of the remaining part of the Vatican city. The view of the St. Peter’s square will just be mesmerizing

Also, visit inside the church. It is decorated with a lot of paintings including some of the most famous paintings.